


Family Matters

by ASamwich



Series: Into the Fold [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kidnapping, Rescue Missions, Soundwave Is A Dad, as well as Family Angst, bumblebee loves his adopted family, but will be having a bad time, sequel to into the fold, set a little while after the first fic, will add more characters as they show up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28398507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASamwich/pseuds/ASamwich
Summary: With Cybertron now blossoming as it continued to build up from the now finished war, Bumblebee has felt more at ease than he has in a long time. He has a family now, and a stable lifestyle that he is perfectly satisfied with, thank you very much. He doesn't want to deal with anything that is remotely stressful, but unfortunately, fate has a habit of kicking the minibot in the aft.
Relationships: Bumblebee & Soundwave (Transformers), Bumblebee & the cassettes, Soundwave & the cassettes
Series: Into the Fold [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079750
Comments: 49
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After several rewrites of the outline of what the sequel to Into the Fold, I can now proudly present Family Matters! There will be more violence in this fic, so if I feel it necessary, I'll have warnings at the beginning of each chapter if necessary. Also, be on the lookout for a bonus chapter for Into the Fold that I should get out in the next week or so. Thank you to all of you who had read Into the Fold, and I hope you enjoy reading the sequel!

A dry wind brushed against Bumblebee as he drove at a leisurely pace, a package for his next client tucked snuggly inside as he communicated with his still fairly new delivery partners, Moonracer and Swoop. The two had seeked him out at different times, hoping for a possible job till they could get their life more stable as they figured out what they wanted to do with their life on Cybertron. Bee had eagerly agreed, fully glad to to take some of his workload off his servos.

“I can do deliveries over at Uraya for the next couple of orns,” Moonracer’s voice spoke up over the comms, “There’s some races that are being set up there that I want to try signing up for.” 

“Good luck then!” Bumblebee said earnestly before switching over his comm to Swoop, “Swoop, are you set for the next while? Are you needing help with your deliveries at all?”

“Me Swoop delivered all of today’s packages!” Swoop’s tinny voice assured over the line, “No issues with deliveries! No need to worry Little Bee!”

“Great Swoop,” Bumblebee said with just the hint of a sigh. He had already told the dinobot that he was fine with just Bee, but Grimlock had started calling him Little Bee during the war, and all the dinobots had ended up calling him that and hadn’t stopped since. “See you later then. Comm me if there’s any problems that do come up.” 

After saying goodbye to Swoop, Bee was able to continue delivering his packages while enjoying the muted sounds of Iacon around him. On his way back to Soundwave’s apartment, an odd flash of shadow caught the minibot’s rear view window and he slowed down, carefully scanning the area. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, despite Bee’s paranoia saying otherwise. Internally, he shook his head at his paranoia as he started driving again. After the whole… event with the bounty hunters before Soundwave adopted him, Optimus and Megatron had made sure to place extra careful security on the street in regards to other bounty hunters that could show up. Although, there had been none, and Cybertron had been enjoying it’s new peace with very little issues.  
The wind had gotten stronger by the time Bee was entering the apartment, making it difficult for him to close the door with the wind pushing against him. The door finally snapped with a shut and Bee let out a relieved sigh before jumping in surprise at the sudden servo that rested against the top of his helm. Looking up, Bee’s surprised expression broke out into a smile at seeing Soundwave. The blue mech’s field wrapped around the minibot warmly. “Bumblebee: welcome back.”

“I didn’t even hear you behind me!” Bee exclaimed, turning so he could give his adopted creator a hug, “When did you get back?”

“Soundwave: Arrived only a little before Bee,” Soundwave replied as he briefly returned the hug, “Others: are not back yet. Request: help with preparations for refuel time?” 

“Of course,” Bee said with a nod and followed Soundwave into the fuel area, where there was already evidence of Soundwave preparing the energon. Following the larger mech to the counter, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as Bee helped Soundwave prep. The silence was broken not long after by the door slamming open, Rumble and Frenzy’s loud voices mixed in with the now howling wind, shattering the peace. 

Soundwave sighed, although it had a hint of amusement in it, “Peace and quiet: is no more.” Bumblebee giggled at the mech’s soft words before grabbing the twins’ energon, turning just in time to see them walk into the room. 

The twins perked up at the already prepared energon, taking it from Bee as Rumble questioned while leaning against the minibot’s side, “What are you doing back so early?”

“Yeah!” Frenzy added after taking a big gulp of energon, “Usually you’re the last one here.”

Giving the twins a shrug as he carefully removed Rumble from his side, Bumblebee replied as he got Ravage’s energon ready, “Swoop and Moonracer have really helped pick up orders, so I’ve got less things to deliver now. Plus, everyone is starting to need less building equipment now that we’ve had a lot of places rebuilt. That was what took up most of my time.” 

“Soundwave: is glad that Bumblebee does less work,” Soundwave added as he passed around energon to the now growing group of cassettes as they got back from wherever they had been that day, “Younglings: should not have to work.” A jab at Bumblebee, who refused to stop his deliveries even though he was told that there was enough to shanix to support him and the rest of his family. He was many things, a freeloader was not one of them. Plus, he didn’t have any real hobbies to pass the time. This was something that he could earn money doing, and enjoy doing it at the same time.

“He’s just salty that you don’t listen to him as much as most of us do,” Ravage rumbled softly enough that only Bee could hear as he set down the casseticon’s energon for him.

“It’s teenage rebellion,” Bumblebee whispered back, “How would you think he’d react if I got a darker paint shade like Hot Rod did that one time?”

Ravage snorted, “He’d probably start holding your hand everywhere since he would keep forgetting that you’re not yellow anymore and end up losing you each time we go out. Also, please don’t follow Hot Rod’s example. One of him is enough.”

Pouting briefly on behalf of his friend, Bumblebee allowed himself to be drawn into conversation with the rest of his family, each of them chattering about their day and plans to come. The only one who didn’t seem all that engaged in their conversations was Soundwave, who was swirling the energon around in it’s container idly, a rather distant look on his face.

“What about you Soundwave?” Bee spoke up, drawing the attention of some of the others sitting near him. Soundwave himself looked briefly startled as the minibot’s voice had dragged him suddenly out of whatever he had been thinking about.

“Bumblebee: elaborate?” Soundwave stated, attention now focused on the other.

“How has work been for you?” Bee asked, curiously tilting his head, “You’re still working for Megatron and Optimus on stuff, right? What have they been having you do?”

After a heavy pause, Soundwave replied, “Work: has been… many different things.” When he failed to elaborate, Bee gave a slow, exaggerated nod.

“What are some of those things?” RatBat asked, also interested now that Bumblebee had brought it up. The cassette had climbed up the minibot, and was now clinging to the other’s helm with his head resting on top of Bee’s head, “You can’t leave us hanging with just that!”

“Explanation: would be boring,” Soundwave remained stubborn as he turned away from curious optics to begin cleaning up, “Work: basic and repetitive. There is no reason for me to tell you about it.”

“Aw,” Rumble said in a fake whine, leaping up to hang off of one of Soundwave’s arms, “Do you think that we’d fall into recharge if you told us?”

“Yes.”

“You think that little of us?!” Frenzy gasped, suddenly appearing on Soundwave’s other arm along with Lazerbeak. The blue mech teetered slightly at the added weight, but didn’t seem off put by it, nor the pouts and whining being sent his way. In fact, he promptly ignored it. Which is why the rest of his children decided that it was time for them all to band together to gain Soundwave’s attention. The taller mech let out a grunt at the sudden increase in weight as all of the rest of the cassettes had suddenly latched onto some part of him, laughing all the while. Bright yellow caught his optics as two arms had wrapped over his shoulder and a weight rested against his back as he heard Bumblebee and RatBat giggling behind him.

Despite now holding all of his children’s weight, Soundwave set down what he was cleaning with a resigned sigh and exited the room without acting weighed down in the slightest. “Where are we going Soundwave?” Buzzsaw asked, his voice right next to Soundwave’s right audial.

“Wash racks.” 

With that simple word, Soundwave’s only warning was the sudden absence of weight as several of his cassettes attempted to escape. Soundwave, however, anticipated this, and with one quick movement, swept up the attempted escapees back into his arms and carried them all into the wash racks.

******

“Soundwave: does not understand _why_ you all are against getting clean,” Soundwave grumbled as he dried Ravage off with a towel. The rest had already dried off, and were now scattered about the wash racks with different polishes and waxes. At least they were doing it calmly- a complete opposite to the ruckus they caused when actually getting washed off. It was a feat that Soundwave barely managed to pull off each time, much to his displeasure. If he had left them to their own devices, the closest his cassettes would get to getting cleaning is by using some sort of cloth to wipe their armor off. It was appalling to the blue mech.

“Getting wet is annoying,” Ravage grumbled back at Soundwave, sounding just as annoyed as the other did. Flicking their tail as Soundwave finished patting the cassetticon dry, Ravage slunk away from him and over to Bumblebee, who had been the most cooperative of all of them when it came to getting clean and was now helping those without opposable thumbs polish their armor. Noticing Soundwave’s tired, but grateful gaze on his one- momentarily- obedient child, Bee gave the blue mech a bright smile and a thumbs up before moving on from Glint to help Ravage out. 

Now that everyone seemed to have settled into routine, Soundwave was able to take his optics off them and look at the file that Ultra Magnus had commed him. A frown settled on his face behind his mask. Another bounty hunter had been caught, this time at the edge of Vos. They had been a small time one, their name not recognizable to him. The eighth one since he and Bumblebee had run into that group of bounty hunters before the minibot had joined his family. A fist of worry wrapped around his spark as he looked back at the other inhabitants of the room. 

Bounty hunters hadn’t been something that really bothered Soundwave in the past. They had been necessary for the decepticons during the war, and once the war was over, they had either changed their profession to something more suitable for peace, or had taken off into the stars to find work elsewhere. But now, they were a threat to Cybertron. They were a threat to his _family._ And, unfortunately, Bumblebee had already proven to be a target to at least one group of bounty hunters. There was a chance that more were out there who were specifically after the little mech. The cassettes were not completely safe either.

Soundwave knew he should tell them. If there was a threat, then his kids had the right to know but… the amount of stress and worry that had finally begun to fade from them would return, worse than before. They felt safe now. That… was something that Soundwave refused to let go. His family was happy, and relaxed, and the blue mech intended for it to stay that way. He would do whatever it took to take out any bounty hunter who dared set their filthy peds on Cybertron. It was his job as the second in command to the leaders of Cybertron, _and_ his duty as a parent. There was nothing that could harm or take away his family under his watch. Soundwave would make sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which decisions have consequences.

“Thanks for paying for lunch,” Bumblebee said as he and Flip Sides left a cafe that had recently opened. The energon served had been manipulated into more complicated shapes, rather than it’s basic liquid form, which had recently become a very welcomed trend among all of Cybertron. Also, a very popular thing with both Bee and the cassettes. Especially Flip Sides, who had begun taking up a hobby in trying out different styles of energon and replicating them later back at home. 

Flip Sides smiled back at the minibot, waving her servo with a casual wave, “It’s no problem. I’ve been wanting to look more into different energon styles, and thought this cafe would be a good place to start. Besides,” she said as the light in her visor narrowed, “I really didn’t want to go with Squawktalk this time. He’s great, but I needed more than just his opinion on what I should try next.” 

Nodding in understanding, Bumblebee and Flip Sides exchanged a few words before saying goodbye, both of them moving to leave for their jobs when an uneasy feeling washed over Bumblebee. Turning his head sharply, he saw that Flip Sides had also frozen in surprise, her visor brighter than usual.. “...Did you feel that too?” Bee asked after a moment, the cassetticon nodding as she made her way back over to the minibot with a frown of worry. “It felt like someone was watching us.”

“But it’s gone now,” Flip Sides mumbled, glancing around at their surroundings with a weary expression. “Maybe we should skip our jobs today, and go back home. Or maybe have Soundwave come get us.”

That sounded like a good idea but… “I just have one more delivery today,” Bumblebee said, ignoring the flat look sent his way, “I promised Hot Rod I would get his paints for him today and help him out with painting part of the ship he and Drift bought.”

Flip Sides didn’t look convinced, but the pouting look Bumblebee sent her made her sigh, “Okay, but it’s just Hot Rod, and no one else?”

“Positive. I can even send Soundwave a message when I arrive at Hot Rod’s ship, and when I’m leaving.”

“Have Hot Rod accompany you home- no matter if it’s dark or not- and you have a deal.”

“Deal,” Bumblebee said with a nod, and shook hands with his adopted sibling, grins coming to their faces despite the lingering uneasy feeling in the back of their processors, “Get home safe.”

Saying goodbye- officially this time- to Flip Sides, Bumblebee was not interrupted by the uneasy feeling of being watched again as he picked up the incredibly _massive_ amount of paint for Hot Rod, and slowly drove his way to where the other’s ship would be, the weight of the load dragging behind him. 

“Bee!” Hot Rod’s excited voice called out to the minibot as he drove into view, the ship- which Drift had said was called the _Lost Light_ \- stood proudly on the field it was resting on. “Is that all the paint?”

Making sure he wasn’t hooked anymore, Bumblebee transformed before replying, “It’s only half. Any more would have been too heavy for me to carry, but I can get the rest of the load in tomorrow if you’d like.” 

“I’d appreciate that,” Hot Rod said with a grin as he began pulling out specific paints, “The outside is fine from the previous owners, but I wanted the inside to look nice as well before I got a crew together. I'll leave the berth rooms blank. Give the crew a chance to choose and paint them whatever colors they want.”

“And you’re sure you want to leave Cybertron?” Bumblebee asked as he accepted the paints Hot Rod handed him, “Everything is really coming together, and well… I’d really miss you.”

“I’m sure Bee,” Hot Rod replied with a roll of his optics, voice slightly exasperated as he and Bumblebee began to walk back to the ship, “You _can_ come with us. Be a part of the crew and have a bunch of totally awesome space adventures!”

“Tempting,” Bumblebee laughed as he nudged Hot Rod, “But I’m pretty sure Soundwave would hunt me down and never let me leave the house before we even attempted to leave the planet.”

Hot Rod shuddered at that, “In that case, you can stay on Cybertron. I don’t want to even imagine Soundwave chasing the _Lost Light_ down. Terrifying.”

Letting out a laugh at his friend’s expression, Bumblebee remembered his promise to Flip Sides, and excused himself a moment so he could message Soundwave. 

**:I just arrived at the Lost Light. Planning to help Hot Rod paint.:**

**:Query: will you be home before dark?:**

**:Possibly not:**

**:Soundwave: does not like the idea of you being out after dark.:**

**:I can ask Hot Rod to walk me home. I'll be fine:**

**: ... Fine. Soundwave: will make Hot Rod regret creation if he doesn't.**

**:Soundwave, please don't threaten my friends. I'll make sure to tell you when we're on our way back. See you tonight. Love you:**

**:Bumblebee: stay safe. Love you:**

Smiling at the warm feeling that entered his spark, still not quite used to the casual 'love you's'- even if he was the first to say it this time- Bumblebee headed back over to Hot Rod, who had begun to set up the paints in the first room to be painted. 

Taking one of the brushes resting on the floor, Bumblebee popped open a can of dark blue paint and dipped it in before starting on the wall opposite of Hot Rod. “So where’s Drift?” Bumblebee asked as he began painting, “I haven’t seen him anywhere since I got here.”

“He’s finalizing a couple things with the previous owners,” Hot Rod said with a shrug, painting the other wall a hot pink, “We’ve invested a lot of time and money into the _Lost Light_ , so we don’t want anything to suddenly come up that would interrupt our schedule. Or for them to try and take it back after we fixed it all up.” Letting out a small hum of understanding, the two continued to paint in relative silence, only broken when Hot Rod started humming tunes and whenever Bumblebee had a question about what the speedster wanted him to paint next. It was enjoyable, hanging out with a friend, and several hours passed without Bumblebee realizing it.

Just completing another wall- this time a royal purple- Bumblebee stood back a little to proudly look at his work. They had only gotten a little bit of what needed to be painted inside the ship, but Bee felt like they were doing a really good job with just the two of them. It made him almost wish he could go with Hot Rod and his crew out into space. But it had been made clear to him that both Soundwave and Optimus disapproved of that idea, telling him that he needed a more stable environment for his growth. Ratchet himself had agreed, sealing Bee's fate to remain on Cybertron. Maybe once he was no longer considered a youngling, he could ask to join the crew, at least for a little bit. The minibot’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as servos- dripping with neon green paint- suddenly placed themselves on either side of his face.

The noise that Bumblebee was most _definitely not_ a shriek as he scrambled away from his perpetrator- who was currently laughing his aft off at the younger’s reaction. Staring flabbergasted at the cackling Hot Rod, Bee could only look at his friend with a mouth open in surprise, green paint smeared all over his face. Slowly, he closed his mouth as his optics drifted over to the half full paint of dark purple. A dangerous smile came to Bumblebee’s face as he went over to the paint bucket and dipped his arm in it, making sure to absolutely coat it while keeping direct optic contact with Hot Rod, whose cackles had died down as he realized what the minibot was planning.

“Wait, hold on!” Hot Rod squawked as he stumbled a couple steps back as Bumblebee began to approach him, “Bee, I _just_ got this new paint coat! Have mercy! _Don’t_ -” The speedster didn’t get to finish his pleads as Bumblebee lunged forward, just tall enough to smash a paint covered servo against the other’s face, a wail of fake remorse leaving Hot Rod at the blight on his paint job. Paint was splattered all over the floor around the two, messing up the floor and part of the walls they had already painted.

The shock of Bumblebee’s revenge didn’t last long as Hot Rod shook off some of the purple paint covering his face before he stumbled over to the rest of the green paint, picked it up and pointed a finger right at Bumblebee, “This. Means. War.”

********

Two bots laid sprawled out on the ground, paint splattered all around their surrounding and on them. It was reminiscent of a battlefield- if a battlefield was completely covered in different colors. Bee was more green than yellow, and Hot Rod was splattered head to pede in royal purple and hot pink. Slowly wiping the thick paint from his face as he gazed balefully at the ceiling, Hot Rod let out a moan, "Drift is going to offline me for the mess we made."

"... I can help you clean up. I guess it _is_ partially my fault for retaliating anyway," Bumblebee offered in a tired voice, tinged slightly in amusement. The paint war had been fun, but the idea of cleaning it was… less fun.

Lifting his head with a considering hum, Hot Rod gave a decisive shake of his head. "Nah, it's late Bee. We need to get cleaned up and then I got to get you back to Soundwave."

Sitting up as well, Bumblebee frowned as he looked around at the splattered paint, "But I feel bad about it. I can clean at least some of this up while you get cleaned up and then just wash this off back home." They wasted quite a bit of paint too. Drift was rich, but that wasn't a reason for him to have to spend more money on paint. He can offer the mech a delivery discount the next time the minibot saw him.

Hot Rod gave a scrutinizing look at Bee before sighing, “Alright, how about this? We at least clean the floor, and then get washed up. I can tell Drift that the paint splatters on the wall are an… artistic representation of our journey. He likes stuff like that.” 

Cracking a smile at that, Bumblebee accepted the speedster’s servo to pull him up and the two got to work on scrubbing the still drying paint off the floor. By the time they were done, Bumblebee was covered in even a wider array of colors, paint flaking off every time the minibot flexed his servos. Hot Rod was only marginally better as he stood up from his kneeling position with a long stretch, spoilers fluttering slightly from the movement. He frowned as he looked down on himself, “Well, this is going to take forever to clean off.”

“I can help you scrub off paint that’s hard to reach,” Bumblebee assured Hot Rod, “Just let me contact Soundwave to let him know we’re cleaning up, and then we’ll be back on our way.”

*******

After contacting Soundwave, assuring him that they would head over the moment the paint was washed off since it had already gotten dark a couple hours ago, Bumblebee and Hot Rod quickly washed off the best they could with the limited supplies that was currently aboard the _Lost Light_. “Sorry about the lack of cleaner Bee,” Hot Rod said as the minibot finished wiping off the last of the paint that the speedster couldn’t get off his spoilers, “Since no one actually lives here yet, Drift only put some stuff here in case of an emergency.”

“It’s good,” Bumblebee replied back as he threw away the now empty bottle, “This was technically an emergency. I’m just glad there was actually stuff to use. Are we ready to go?”

Hot Rod looked in the mirrored wall, giving a one time spin to make sure all the paint was off before nodding, “Yup, ready to transform and roll out!”

“Oh my gosh, that was Optimus’ cheesiest line!” Bumblebee snorted as the two left the ship, the darkness of the night only cut through by the bots' biolights and the spaced street lights of Iacon. They remained in root mode, satisfied to walk and enjoy the night atmosphere, talking and joking with each other as they headed towards where Bee lived. 

“-and then, just as I saw Whirl about to throw the first bottle of what was going to be an _epic_ bar fight, someone else showed up, wielding an even bigger bottle!” Hot Rod waved his servos through the air, telling the story with them as much as he was with his voice, keeping Bumblebee’s attention on the speedster, “You wouldn’t believe it, but that someone was-” A loud crash nearby interrupted, cutting off Hot Rod and causing both autobots to jump in surprise.

When they turned, the two bots could make out a barely visible outline of another Cybertronian, standing just outside of one of the streetlights so they couldn’t figure out who it was. “Hello?” Hot Rod called out to the mysterious figure while positioning himself so that Bumblebee was completely hidden behind him, the sudden threat of bounty hunters coming to the forefront of both of their processors. While it could be just a drunk Cybertronian leaving from a bar, their instincts were screaming at them that that wasn’t the case. 

The figure didn’t respond. Instead, it gave a small movement, and the glint of metal appeared in light. “Bee move!” Hot Rod yelled, pushing the smaller bot to the side as both of them just barely dodged the bullet shot their way. Neither needed to tell each other what to do as both transformed and raced away from the gun welding figure, tires leaving black marks against the ground. Hot Rod, being the faster of the two, easily pulled ahead, but slowed down enough so that Bumblebee could stay right on his tail as they swerved around corners. 

“Jazz’s bar is down the street at the next right turn!” Bumblebee called out to Hot Rod, “It should still be open, so we can take cover and get help there!” Picking up the speed, the two were just about to get to the right turn when a shape lurched out of the shadows, ramming into Hot Rod’s side and tossing the speedster off of his wheels. Alarmed at the sudden appearance of the shadowed Cybertonian in front of him attacking his friend, Bumblebee gave a hard swerve, barely dodging them as he transformed back into root mode, helping a dazed looking Hot Rod up while keeping his blaster focused on their foe. 

There still was barely any light where they stood, but Bumblebee could see enough to realize that the other Cybertronian was wearing some sort of poncho that kept their identity hidden. Although his big aft gun definitely was _not_ hidden. Once Hot Rod got more oriented, he pulled his blaster out as well, giving a hard glare at the other Cybertonian as he wiped the energon off of his face. “This guy is after you Bee,” Hot Rod spoke in a low voice, optics bright with anger, “We need to get you out of here and somewhere safe. Or we need help. Is your comm working?”

Bumblebee gave a subtle shake of his head, “No, this guy has a jammer like the other bounty hunters. All I’m getting is static.” 

Despite the bad news that the minibot had just given him, Hot Rod sent the other a confident smirk, ‘Well then, I guess we’ll just have to beat this slagger!” A scoff came from the mysterious bounty hunter at the speedsters loud words, and aimed his gun again, but Hot Rod’s words had given the two a boost of confidence as they both dodged the blast. Rolling to a crouch, Bumblebee started firing his blaster at their opponent, Hot Rod doing the same on the other side. The bounty hunter dodged out of the way of the blaster fire, shooting off his own return fire. 

The two bots seemed evenly matched with the bounty hunter, and all three seemed to realize this, as the bounty hunter suddenly put away his gun and pulled out what looked to be a massive taser and lunged towards Hot Rod. The speedster lunged to the side, the electricity coming from the taser scorching the red paint job to a dusty black. Bumblebee moved forward with his own bladed tasers, catching the edge of the bounty hunter’s poncho and tearing it as the other moved away from the minibot. This gave Hot Rod the chance he needed as the speedster pointed his servo at their opponent and let out a torrent of flames. 

Letting out a shout of alarm at the sudden flames shot at him, the bounty hunter lifted his poncho just as the flames hit. For a moment, the two autobots thought they had won, only for the bounty hunter to lower a perfectly fine poncho, not looking the slightest bit burnt. _It’s fireproof_ , Bumblebee realized as the fight continued on. 

Just as Bumblebee could feel the burn of exhaustion from fighting, noise sounded from down the street, indicating that someone had _finally_ heard the fight that was going on. He and Hot Rod exchanged a thankful look that the fight was almost over, just as the bounty hunter let out a disappointed sigh. 

“And here I was just starting to have fun,” the bounty hunter tsked, “But I guess it’s time to wrap things up.” To Bumblebee’s horror, the bounty hunter moved in a blur and was suddenly next to Hot Rod. Before either of them could do anything, their servo wrapped around the speedster's helm and slammed it against the ground. Bumblebee watched with wide optics as the other’s body went limp, energon dripping down his face as the bounty hunter stood back up. 

“Now then Bumblebee,” the bounty hunter spoke calmly, as if he hadn’t just broken the street with another Cybertronian’s head, “Why don’t you come quietly? I’d hate to have to do to you what I just did to your friend.”

Bumblebee snarled instead, activating his tasers to their full capacity as he lunged at the bounty hunter, “Get away from him!” Looking amused as the furious minibot tried to stab him, the bounty hunter moved smoothly out of the way. As Bumblebee stumbled from the dodge, the other Cybertonian bent low and grabbed the minibot around the waist, lifting him up before slamming him against the ground. 

Air wheezed pitifully from Bumblebee’s vents as he let out a low groan, pain radiating from the impact. As the minibot tried to get up from the ground, he heard the bounty hunter chuckle in a low voice, “Don’t try to get up, little bot.” A servo was placed over his face, blocking out his vision as it gently pushed his head back down, “Why don’t you have a nap instead?” As Bumblebee felt himself shutting down, the last thing that flashed through his head was that Soundwave was still waiting for him to get back home.


	3. Chapter 3

Servos drumming against the table, Soundwave caught himself checking his chronometer for the seventh time in the last couple minutes. Refuel time had long since finished, and he could hear his cassettes in the background all doing their own stuff throughout the house. All of his children accounted for- except for Bumblebee. He had gotten a message from the minibot telling him that he was cleaning up from painting, and then would be heading back here with Hot Rod. But that had been a while ago, and they still weren’t here, and he hadn't heard from Bee since the initial message. It had been dark for a long time now.

Part of Soundwave knew that he was being ridiculous with his worry. Bumblebee had survived a war, and while he was still a youngling, he was far past mature enough to be able to go around and do things without a parent constantly hovering behind him. But another part of Soundwave couldn’t let go of the worry that nipped at his spark, berating him for not going to pick up the minibot when it got dark. Bounty hunters could still be an issue, and it would be his fault if one appeared and harmed one of his family. 

Letting out a slow vent, Soundwave forced himself to relax, the tenseness in his shoulders slowly flowing out as he stood up. Hot Rod was young, but still an adult and an experienced fighter. Bumblebee was also an experienced fighter. They would be fine, and Soundwave would simply have to accept that. Moving to go back to his room to wait instead of hovering around in the kitchen, Soundwave halted when he suddenly received a comm from Megatron.

**:Something's happened:**

**:Megatron: elaborate:**

**:... Bumblebee… is gone.:**

Soundwave froze, visor bright with shock as he felt his spark plummet to his pedes. Bumblebee. _Gone._ When Soundwave didn’t reply, Megatron continued;

**:Hot Rod was found near Jazz’s bar. He was knocked out and fairly injured. He just barely woke up… and said that Bumblebee was with him. We can’t locate or contact him. His comms are completely dead.:**

Servos trembling, Soundwave had to take a moment to ground himself.

**: Hot Rod: Location now?:**

**:We’re at Ratchet’s medical facility, room 34H. Optimus is with me now, as well as a couple others.:**

**:Soundwave: is on the way:**

Not waiting for a reply on Megatron’s end, Soundwave instantly moved towards the door, but stopped just shy of opening. The rest of his kids were here, and he couldn’t leave them on their own. If someone had taken Bumblebee, then the chances of them coming after the cassettes was high. He couldn’t just take them all with him either. But, he had an idea;

**:Shockwave: Soundwave, needs a favor.:**

******

Once Shockwave was at Soundwave’s place, begrudgingly so, Soundwave had taken off to Ratchet’s facility with a quick promise to be back as soon as possible when the cassettes had questioned where he was going. He didn’t tell them that Bumblebee was missing, most likely taken. Not yet. He… needed to know what happened. So, he simply told him that Megatron and Optimus needed him for an urgent meeting.

Getting to the medical facility took much longer than Soundwave wanted, and made him wish, not for the first time, that he had a vehicle alt-mode. It would make things so much easier for him at times. Rushing through the facility, Soundwave shoved the door of the room that Megatron had told him open, revealing an upset Hot Rod sitting on a med berth, Megatron, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and- surprisingly- Windblade.

“She was the one who found Hot Rod in the street,” Optimus explained when he saw Soundwave’s confused glance at the jet, “Windblade is also a friend of Bumblebee’s, and wanted to know what happened as well.” 

Deciding he didn’t really care at the moment, Soundwave approached Hot Rod’s berth. Seeing the approaching mech, the speedster attempted to sit up straighter, but winced in pain from his injuries, letting out a slow vent as he sat back again. Ratchet moved to make sure Hot Rod hadn’t injured himself more as Soundwave asked, “What happened?”

Waving away Ratchet’s worried servos, Hot Rod let out another slow vent before replying, “Some… _bounty hunter_ attacked us on our way back from the _Lost Light._ Their identity was hidden by some sort of ugly grey poncho, but they were really, _really_ good at fighting. We tried to get away, but when he cut us off, we tried to fight. It was pretty evenly matched, but then… I think I got distracted or something, because next thing I know, the bounty hunter was next to me,” Hot Rod looked down at his clenched servos, “That’s all I can recall. Windblade said that I was passed out on the ground, bleeding from my helm, and it looked like someone had smashed by head against the ground.”

“And there was no sign of Bumblebee or the bounty hunter the two of them fought,” Windblade spoke up from the wall she was leaning against, “Just Hot Rod, and some splotches of energon. I only found them because I had just left Jazz’s bar and was heading home when I heard gunfire.” 

“Comms: in use?” Soundwave questioned, but he already had a feeling that he knew what Hot Rod’s reply would be.

The speedster shook his head, “Completely cut off. They had some sort of jammer. And there wasn’t really anyone around to call for help. There were no living spaces in the area we were walking through, and most of the businesses around were closed for the night.” 

“So was it planned?” Optimus thought out loud, looking frustrated at the idea, “The bounty hunter could have been stalking Bumblebee for an undetermined amount of time, and none of us had any clue.”

That made Soundwave’s stress increase tenfold. How long _had_ a bounty hunter been stalking Bumblebee? What if his other kids have also been stalked by bounty hunters? It was Soundwave’s job to get rid of any budding threats to Cybertron, and one had been stalking the streets without his knowledge, and now, Bumblebee was paying the price.

Ratchet spoke next, pulling Soundwave out of his self loathing as he asked, “Was there anything else you can remember Hot Rod? Any details about the bounty hunter who might help us determine who might have taken Bumblebee, and how we might be able to track them.”

Hot Rod remained quiet as he carefully rubbed his helm near where his injury was newly welded, “I… besides the poncho, there wasn’t really anything else.” The speedsters optics, which had been closed, suddenly opened with a spark of realization, “Wait! He only used one arm! The other remained hidden inside the poncho, no matter how he was fighting.”

At that, Ratchet’s expression darkened even more, “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Then you know who took Bumblebee?” Megatron’s voice rumbled, prompting the medic to continue when Ratchet seemed to have fallen into thought.

“Possibly, but since Hot Rod didn’t see his other arm, I can’t be too sure.”

Optimus stepped forward and placed a hand on Ratchet’s shoulder, “This is the best lead we have, so please old friend, if you think you know who took Bumblebee, then tell us.”

“...Lockdown took Bumblebee.”

All of the Cybertronians flinched when Soundwave’s em field flared out in a brief, but furious rage before the blue mech pulled his field back in close, his expression betraying nothing. But that brief loss of control had shaken the inhabitants of the room, the raw burning fury startling coming from the normally calm mech. Although, it was understandable. Soundwave’s kid just got taken by the most notorious bounty hunter of Cybertron, who was thought to have settled down after the war. Apparently not, as proof of the attack and Bee’s disappearance.

“Lockdown: will not get far,” Soundwave growled, beginning to turn to leave the room, but got halted by Optimus, who had grabbed the con’s arm.

“Soundwave, I understand you are upset, but you cannot simply go after Lockdown yourself.”

Soundwave turned a steely look towards Optimus, “Prime: does not tell Soundwave what to do.”

“As one of the leaders of Cybertron, I have every right to,” Optimus replied back coldly, although he let go of Soundwave’s arm as he reeled his emotions back in, “I too wish to rescue Bumblebee, but a single Cybertonian will not be able to rescue him from Lockdown.”

“Optimus is right,” Megatron spoke up before Soundwave could say anything more, “A group of Cybertronians have better luck saving Bumblebee then just one. Maybe a group of seven would work.”

“Soundwave: will go,” Soundwave spoke with a very firm conviction, “Others: can be chosen.”

“I don’t think you should go Soundwave,” Optimus said, optics locked on the blue mech, “The cassettes may also be in danger, and it would be unwise to leave them. Plus, your emotions may make you… volatile. I will go. Bumblebee-”

“ _-is not your child,_ ” Soundwave cut in flatly, the room seeming to drop in temperature. Everyone stayed silent as Soundwave fully faced Optimus. Optimus looked taken aback, and there was a flash of hurt across the prime’s face, along with another emotion that was gone too quickly for anyone to figure out. “Prime: does not have a bond with Bumblebee. Chance: lost long ago. Soundwave: does have a bond. Chances of rescue: higher with Soundwave going.” 

“Neither of you should go,” Ratchet spoke after several beats of heavy silence, “Optimus, you are one of the leaders of Cybertron. You cannot leave while society is still rebuilding itself.” The medic turned to Soundwave, “You are correct about having a bond with Bumblebee, but leaving your cassettes will leave them vulnerable to any attacks on them, and you _definitely_ cannot take them with you.”

Optimus slumped in resignation, accepting Ratchet’s statement, but Soundwave looked down in consideration. The medic was correct, unfortunately. He couldn’t leave his other children in danger of being taken like Bumblebee, but even now, he could feel the slight tug on his spark of the familial bond he had with the minibot, weaker than the cassettes, but still there. His kid was calling for him, intentionally or not. And it hurt, not being able to do anything at the moment. Visor dimming, Soundwave realized that he had to make a very difficult decision, one that would decide the possible fate of his newest child. If he went… he left the cassettes on their own. They could be taken as well. If he didn’t go… the cassettes would be upset that he didn’t go- that _they_ didn’t go to rescue their brother. And there was a very real chance that they would not be getting Bumblebee back. He made a decision.

Visor brightening again, Soundwave looked up at the inhabitants of the room, “Soundwave: _will go._ Shockwave: can watch the cassettes.”

“Are you sure Soundwave?” Ratchet asked slowly, “The cassettes-”

“-would be angry if none of us went to save Bumblebee. Cassettes: will still be upset that they are not allowed to go. Shockwave: will be the safest choice to watch them.”

“And how’s that?”

“Shockwave’s roommate: is a predacon. Safety: will not be an issue.”

“... then you should go,” Optimus admitted, although bitterness tinged his voice, “ You are our best option in locating Bumblebee. Who else should be going?” 

“I will,” both Hot Rod and Windblade spoke at the same time. They had been quiet as the others had argued, but now that it finally came to _who_ would be on the rescue team, both had jumped at the opportunity.

“You’re injured,” Ratchet scolded Hot Rod, turning towards the speedster, “You wouldn’t be able to assist in anything.”

That didn’t deter Hot Rod as he began to push himself off the med berth. “I’m not that injured!” the speedster argued, even as Ratchet attempted to push him back onto the med berth, “Bee got taken while I was with him. I may have been defeated this time, but I refuse to be defeated a second time! I _want_ to go and,” he paused, optics narrowing mischievously, “If you don’t let me go, I’ll simply take the _Lost Light_ with a crew of my own to find Bee. And then he can stay with us.”

“Absolutely not,” Soundwave and Ratchet growled, for very different reasons. Ratchet, due to the fact that he _knew_ the _Lost Light_ was nowhere near ready for space travel yet, and Soundwave due to the simple reason that he would not let the speedster take his kid away from him that soon to go off into who-knows-where in space.

“Then it’s settled!” Hot Rod said cheerfully as he leaned back into the med berth, trying not to wince and disprove the fact that he was fine. 

So at the moment, it was Soundwave, Hot Rod, and Windblade. “Others: can be chosen without Soundwave,” Soundwave told the others as he began to head towards the door, “Departure: should be soon. Contact: when ready.”

“Where are you going?” Optimus questioned in surprise at seeing Soundwave leaving.

Pausing briefly at the door, Soundwave looked back briefly before replying, weariness in his voice, “Soundwave: must update cassettes on the situation.”

******

Just as he suspected, the cassettes did not take any of the news well.

“BUMBLEBEE GOT _TAKEN?!_ ”

“THEY WEREN’T GOING TO LET YOU GO?!”

“ _WE_ DON’T GET TO GO?!”

Those were only some of the complaints and yells sent his way, and while Soundwave understood the frustration his children were feeling, he stood firm. “Cassettes: Cannot come. Danger: too great. “Soundwave: going due to bond. Bumblebee: will be found quicker that way.”

“But we’ve been in plenty of dangerous situations,” Ravage argued back, their tail lashing, “We all deserve to go save Bumblebee.”

“Soundwave: understands,” Soundwave soothed, kneeling down so that he was more level with the upset cassettes, “However: Soundwave, cannot lose another one of you. Chances of losing one of you: higher if you come along.” 

Pouting faces glared back at him, but it was mixed with resigned understanding that the blue mech was right. It would be difficult trying to save Bumblebee if they were too busy trying to save themselves. 

Lazerbeak shifted uneasily from her perch on Howlback, “Then who are we staying with if you’re going?”

Bracing himself, Soundwave replied, “Cassettes: will be staying with Shockwave.” He was correct in bracing himself, as his words sent another wave of yelling and complaints. The cassettes… liked Shockwave to an extent, but even he knew that the scientist wasn’t the most easy to get along with. But Soundwave trusted him, and knew that in the end, Shockwave would keep his cassettes safe. 

"If we _have_ to stay, can't it be with someone else?' Rumble whined, "Shockwave was just here, and all he talked about was science junk!"

Soundwave sent Rumble a tired stare, "Shockwave: is the safest choice. Cassettes: will be well protected. Plus: Predaking will also be watching you all as Shockwave's roommate." 

Luckily the cassettes perked up a little bit, but not by much. Sighing, Soundwave dragged them all into a hug, " _Please_ : listen and stay safe. Soundwave: will be back as soon as possible."

The cassettes remained quiet for a moment as they curled into Soundwave's hug before Frenzy spoke up softly, speaking for all of them, "We will. But you have to bring back our brother, no matter what."

Holding his children closer, Soundwave promised with all his spark that he would. They all would be back together soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, you guys were right, it was Lockdown. For those who guessed Wildwheel, I am ashamed to say I completely forget he existed when writing the last couple chapters and that he would have been so cool to have in the story.
> 
> For the current rescue team, there's Soundwave, Hot Rod, and Windblade. There will be four other characters joining them. Have any ideas on who they could be? ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dang this one took a lot longer than expected, but now we're finally starting to approach the main plot!!

Heading up alone to the ship that they would use to rescue Bumblebee, Soundwave felt unsurprised to see Rodimus and Windblade already waiting next to the ship with the two leaders of Cybertron. What was more surprising- or maybe not- was the rest of the members gathered as well. Deadlock- or, Drift, as Soundwave now knew the mech preferred to be called- was conversing with the autobot warrior Arcee. Ratchet was also there, but Soundwave couldn’t see the medic’s expression as he was loading items into the spaceship, but the tenseness in his shoulders’ spoke volumes. Megatron had said seven Cybertronians, but with Soundwave joining them now, they were still only six. Whoever was their seventh member wasn’t there yet, and if they didn’t get there soon, Soundwave planned to leave without them.

“Soundwave,” Optimus greeted, looking withdrawn as the mech approached, “The crew is almost ready to take off. We are just waiting for your last member.”

“Designation?” Soundwave questioned as he looked around, hoping to spot the wayward member.

“Megatron was the one to contact them, so I don’t know who it is,” Optimus said with a shake of his head, looking over at the former warlord.

“He’ll be here soon,” Megatron simply replied, seeming unwilling to diverge in who else was coming. Soundwave’s visor narrowed at his leader. Whenever Megatron was unwilling to give easy information, that meant that it was due to the fact that he _knew_ Soundwave wasn’t going to like the answer. 

“Oh Primus,” came Ratchet’s voice, the medic glaring off at the distance behind Soundwave, “Please tell me that is _not_ Starscream headed in our direction.” Shooting Megatron a heated look of betrayal, Soundwave turned to see that, yes, Starscream was headed in their direction, the seeker practically strutting his way over. 

“Query: _why_ ,” Soundwave asked- _absolutely not whining_ \- at his leader. While Soundwave did not… _mind_ Starscream, and respected the seeker as a very intelligent individual, he _did not_ want to spend an entire rescue mission trapped in limited quarters with said seeker. He already had done that on the _Nemesis_. There was no need to repeat that.

Megatron shot a bemused look at Soundwave, “Starscream, when he is not scheming, can actually be very useful. Plus, you needed another flier. Just having Windblade would put you at a disadvantage.”

“Observation: there are many fliers. Fliers: who are _not Starscream_.”

“And miss out on my glorious presence Soundwave?” Starscream butted in as soon as he was close enough, the seeker’s wings hitched high, “I’m almost insulted that you don’t want me here.”

“None of us do!” Ratchet called out grouchily from where he was crouched to pick up the last of the supplies. Starscream simply stuck out his glossa at the medic when his back was turned before Optimus intercepted any more complaining;

“I agree with Megatron on this. Starscream is well versed in many things, and could be a great asset to the rescue team,” Optimus glanced over at the seeker, “I at least know that he is willing to help get Bumblebee back, seeing as the two of them have become friends. He is trustworthy enough for this rescue mission, and possibly necessary for it to work smoothly.”

This was news to Soundwave, as he looked over at a now embarrassed looking Starscream as he muttered, “The little scout is a good listener is all.” If… the two leaders thought that Starscream was a good enough asset to get Bumblebee back… then he would tolerate working with the seeker, for his kid’s sake. 

“Starscream: can assist.” 

“Then it’s settled?” Arcee spoke up, handing back Drift his weapon, “Cause I’d actually like to get Bee back at some point. Before it’s too late.” At that sober thought, the gathered Cybertronians finished quickly and all gathered onboard, with Soundwave boarding last with Megatron and Optimus seeing them off. As Soundwave boarded, he was just able to catch the last bits of the leaders’ conversation.

“So what did you do to convince Starscream to go?”

“I offered to pay for 50% of the seekers’ next science project, and a free assassination attempt when he gets back. I needed a break from him anyway.”

“Huh.”

********  
It wasn’t hard to get a lock on Lockdown’s ship. The difficult part would be catching up to it in time… for whatever the bounty hunter had abducted Bumblebee for. And since that was the biggest thing they needed Soundwave for, the blue mech was told to try and relax while Drift piloted the ship. They would let him know when Lockdown’s ship was in sight, so that he could tear it down and get to his kid inside. Unfortunately, it was not the time, and there was too much unused energy from his anger at Lockdown, and from being unable to do anything at the moment, that left Soundwave wandering around the ship. 

The metal pinged softly with every pedestep Soundwave took as he entered the far back of the ship where the supplies were kept; boxes stacked on boxes of everything they could possibly need. While it was preferable to get Bumblebee back in at least on orn, there was enough supplies to keep them going for several if there was a mess-up that prolonged the rescue mission. Which there _wouldn’t_ be. Pausing at a stack at chassis level, Soundwave gently rested a servo on top, a frown growing deeper underneath his mask as he felt a weird feeling crawling around his spark. At first, he thought it was just the emotional stress of having one of his kids getting _abducted_ but this felt more… physical.

Rubbing at the spot where his spark was with his other servo, Soundwave continued deeper in the storage, visor narrowed as he looked around. The feeling continued to get stronger, even if it felt like it was also trying to pull away from him. Confusion mixed in as his searching continued. This feeling was… Soundwave suddenly froze at an odd tug at his spark, suddenly realizing exactly what he was feeling and was furious that he was feeling it. Latching onto the tug, Soundwave followed it to a secluded corner of the ship where the boxes were stacked oddly. Removing the boxes with one movement, Soundwave was met with four surprised faces looking up at him.

“What. Are. You. Four. Doing. Here.” Soundwave growled out, feeling angry, relieved and shocked at seeing Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak, and Ravage all tucked in the corner, all of their expression turning from shocked to guilty as their creator stared them down. At first, no one spoke up, the cassettes casting each other probing looks in an attempt to get one another to be the one to take the heat by explaining how they were currently on the spaceship heading to rescue Bumblebee. They doubted Soundwave needed the explanation to why.

As eldest sibling, Laserbeak decided to be the one to speak as she let out a shaky sigh, sitting up taller while looking anywhere besides Soudnwave’s visor. She might as well be the one to start. “We- uh,” she let out a coughed chirp, “We’re here to rescue Bumblebee. Too. Uh, with you. As well.” Good job Laserbeak, A for effort.

That did not appease Soundwave at all, as the blue mech dragged a slow servo down his face as he carefully lowered himself to his knees to be more at level with the cassettes, “Soundwave: understands why. Question: _how_ did you get onboard. Soundwave: had left you all at Shockwave’s place. Shockwave: does not make a simple mistake of letting others get the best of him.”

Despite still looking guilty, the cassettes couldn’t stop small, prideful grins from forming. “We overheard Shockwave talking with Megatron,” Rumble began, shifting himself from his slumped position, eagerness leaked into his voice, “And heard them decide that Starscream was going to be involved in the rescue mission-”

“-we were already planning to sneak over to the ship, but this gave us an easier way,” Frenzy cut in, before Rumble continued with a pouted glare at the interruption-

“So we contacted Starscream and blackmailed him into sneaking us to the ship and getting us onboard without you knowing while the others distracted Shockwave and Predaking so they wouldn’t know we were missing until it was too late!”

“We weren’t planning to have you know we were more on board until much later,” Ravage admitted with a small shrug, “We even tried hiding our sparkbonds with you, but… I suppose it’s difficult to hide things from you.”

“Obviously,” Soundwave replied in a dry voice, trying hard to push down the pride that he felt blossom. His kids definitely took after him, even if it worked against his favor. Any other situation would have him praising his kids without any of the added disappointment he felt towards them at the moment. At least Ravage and Laserbeak should have known better. “Soundwave: … is impressed with your planning and collaboration.”

‘So you’re not mad at us?”

“No, Soundwave: _is furious_.” The cassettes all shrank at those words before the blue mech continued, “Cassettes: will be grounded when we get back. However: you all may help with getting Bumblebee back. That much: Soundwave will allow you. Starscream: will be grounded too after he helps rescue your sibling.”

All of the cassettes perked up, faces splitting into grins as they realized Soundwave was going to let them help and crowded around their creator excitedly, even as Ravage couldn’t help but question, “How are you going to even ground Starscream? He’s not one of your kids.”

Soundwave placed a calm servo on top of Ravage’s head as he replied darkly, “Soundwave: knows ways.” From the other side of the ship, where he was going through flight patterns with Windblade, Starscream felt a dreaded shiver go down his back strut. 

*******

The floor was humming. The hum vibrated right from the floor up to Bumblebee’s helm, shaking him slowly from the blissful darkness of being unconscious. There was a dim light above him, not enough to blind the minibot as his optics flickered online, but enough to cause him to squint tiredly and turn his head away. To be met with the sight of the inside of a ship. And bars. _I’ve got to stop waking up in places I don’t know,_ was the first thought that came to Bumblebee as he struggled to sit up, the cuffs attaching his wrists making it difficult.

Once sitting up and more awake, Bumblebee took stock of his surroundings. The ship he was on didn’t seem to be a big one. It also wasn’t very well kept. Either the owner didn’t care to keep it in shape, or they didn’t have the shanix to keep it in shape. The cell he sat in was tiny as well. Being a minibot, Bee could stretch out his limbs- if he wasn’t cuffed- and stand easily, but a regular sized cybertronian would be practically squished against the bars. As for how he got here in the first place… Bumblebee winced when it came back to him. Right. The bounty hunter had grabbed him and had left Hot Rod knocked out and injured on the street. Worry gripped Bumblebee’s spark at the thought of his friend. While he knew the speedster was strong, and very hardy, he hoped that someone had found Hot Rod and fixed injuries before they became life-threatening.

Focusing back on his situation and pushing the worry- that he could work over later- to the back of his mind. Observing the cuffs attached to his wrists, Bumblebee noted that they seem to be the standard cuffs that both decepticons and autobots sported during the war whenever they had taken an enemy captive. He himself had been forced to wear them once or twice when he had been unfortunately captured during a scouting mission. Which meant that he had a very real chance of getting out of the cuffs and then, hopefully, out of the jail cell he was in. After that… well, Bee knew he’d figure out once he got to that point.

Careful with how much noise he was making, Bumblebee shuffled himself into a more comfortable sitting position while searching his hidden compartments. He didn’t bother checking his weapon systems, already sensing that they were completely offline. A vent of relief left Bumblebee as he pulled out his lockpicks, hidden safely in a compartment in the back of his right leg. There was always a chance that the lockpicks that he always carried around- mostly due to habit- would be found, but it wasn’t the case this time. And that was something that Bee was fully thankful for.

Before the minibot could begin his lockpicking, the sound of approaching pedes reached his audials, and Bee scrambled to put the lockpicks back into their compartment. He closed up the compartment just in time as the mech turned around the corner of the room, revealing himself to Bumblebee.

For a couple clicks, the two stared at each other blankly. Finally, Bee seemed to gather enough sense to himself to ask in a very confused, hesitant voice, “...Lockdown? I… thought you didn’t do bounty hunting anymore?” Which was what Bumblebee really thought. The one handed bounty hunter had seemed to settle down and open a workshop after the war ended, content to do dealings and enjoy the peace like everyone else. Apparently not, since he was standing in front of the captive youngling, looking a fair bit annoyed.

“And I thought you were supposed to be out longer,” Lockdown grumbled, approaching the jail cell Bumblebee sat in, who was still staring at the bounty hunter in hurt confusion. Seeing the expression on Bee’s face seemed to amuse Lockdown, as his grumbling switched to the bounty hunter smirking as he leaned against the wall to look down at the minibot. “Are you really that surprised to see a ‘former’ bounty hunter doing what he does best?” When Bumblebee gave a slow nod, Lockdown let out an amused chuckle with a shake of his head, “Well kid, that’s just how it is. Peace was nice, for a while, but it gets plain boring. Thought picking up a job or two now and again wouldn’t hurt- give life a little spice and it doesn’t hurt to get paid the extra shanix.”  
“...so someone hired you to abduct me?” Bumblebee asked softly, still feeling confused over this whole thing. His head was starting to hurt from it, and he was already feeling tired of what was still to come. Honestly, can’t a minibot get some peace when there was actual peace? Being a youngling couldn’t be _that_ intriguing enough for someone to pay enough shanix for _Lockdown_ to accept the job.

Scratching idly at a patchy spot of peeling paint on his arm, Lockdown replied with a shrug, “Duh. I don’t really have any beef with you kid, and honestly, wasn’t really considering going after you anyway, but well,” He sent Bumblebee a jagged grin, “They’re paying a _lot_ of shanix for me to bring you to them.”

“Why?”

Another shrug, “I don’t ask questions. They send me the target, I capture and bring ‘em in, and get paid. I don’t care about why. Out of sight, out of mind.”

“It’s not going to be ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when Soundwave catches up,” Bumblebee said in a grave voice, locking optics with Lockdown who suddenly looked uncomfortable with the mention of the third-in-command of the decepticons, “He’s not just going to just forgive and forget, even if I’m with your employer by the time he catches up.”

“You don’t even know if Soundwave is looking for you,” Lockdown said with a scoff, although his body language said differently by the way he discreetly shuffled in place.

“He is.” And that was the truth. Ever since he woke up, Bumblebee could feel a faint, searching tug against his spark. He had instantly latched onto the tug, trying everything he could to strengthen the still weak bond between him and his adopted parent so that Soundwave could know where to find him. While Bumblebee wasn’t sure how well it would work, he had confidence in the blue mech. If anyone had the ability to find him, it was Soundwave. 

More uncertainty made its way onto Lockdown’s face. Bumblebee took notice, and added, “We both know what’s happened to Cybertonians who anger Soundwave. They’re either never found again, or,” Bumblebee’s voice dropped into a whisper, “They are never the same.” Allowing a click of silence for the bounty hunter to digest those words, Bee pushed on, “You don’t have to finish this job. If you take me back to Cybertron, I bet Optimus and Megatron would be willing to pay the same amount of shanix offered to you-” probably not, but the bounty hunter didn’t need to know that- “I can even vouch for you, to keep them from putting you in jail and making sure you stay safe from any repercussions. Wouldn’t that be better than being chased down for the rest of your life, never able to go back to Cybertron peacefully?” 

There was a look of consideration that mixed in with the uncertainty. Bumblebee could only hope that Lockdown would accept his words, and take his promise for shanix and safety in return for taking Bumblebee back to Cybertron. Even if the minibot knew that the two leaders would refuse to pay shanix to the bounty hunter, and that if Soundwave wanted to beat up Lockdown, then there wasn’t really much Bee could do about that. 

That seemed to cross Lockdown’s mind as the bounty hunter set his jaw and glared down at the minibot, who grimanced at the look. “I may be… intimidated by Soundwave, but I’m not stupid. Even if I took you back to Cybertron, I doubt a youngling would have much say in what happens to me afterwards. Besides,” Lockdown knelt down to optic level with Bumblebee, a dark look on his face, “My employer is not one to mess with. I wouldn’t get any sort of peace, even with your promises. That mech would hunt me down and have me skewered, _and then_ take you anyways. At least with this, I get paid. And that’s all I care about.”

Remorse bit into Bumblebee, but he shoved it down while frowning at Lockdown, “Who is even paying you to take me to them? I… don’t think I have any enemies that truly hate me, and there’s no chance that someone out there is really interested in a youngling. It doesn’t make sense.” 

“You’ll just have to see,” Lockdown replied snidely, standing up from his crouch and started to head out of the room, pausing briefly at the door to look back at Bumblebee, “Try to get some rest kid. Who knows when you’ll have a chance again.” With that, the bounty hunter exited the room, leaving Bee sitting by himself, locked up and alone in the cell.

Which is what Bumblebee wanted. With Lockdown most likely heading back to steer the ship, Bee was now free to break himself out. Pulling out his lockpicks once again, the minibot contemplated on who exactly was Lockdown’s employer as he began working on the cuffs. He was aware that there were still Cybertronians out there that didn’t necessarily agree with the outcome of the war. Or satisfied with the peace that was now on the planet. Like the DJD and Overlord. A shiver went through Bee, but he pushed it away as he reasoned with himself. As awful as they were, neither the DJD nor Overlord have ever met the minibot, and had any interest in younglings as far as he could tell. He was at least safe from being handed over to some of the most violent mechs in existence. Unfortunately, that meant that Bee still had no idea as to who or where he and Lockdown were headed to.

A soft click sounded, distracting Bumblebee from his thoughts as he popped the cuffs off his wrists and gently set them down on the ground. Standing as quietly as he could, Bee gave a brief stretch, glad to get rid of the kinks formed from being tense and went over to the side of the cell. It was old fashioned, made of actual metal bars then laser ones that most cells were made out of now ‘n days. Which was a miracle in itself for Bee. Laser bars were notoriously difficult to diffuse without the right tools, and currently, all the minibot had at his disposal was his lockpicks and a couple energon jellies.

Standing up on his tiptoes, Bumblebee got to work on the padlock of the cell, barely able to reach it at his height while also keeping one optic on the door incase Lockdown, or anyone else, tried to walk back in. Luck was on his side for once as the lock popped open and landed into Bumblebee’s open servo without any interruptions. A harsh vent of relief left Bumblebee as he drew the padlock against him and slowly opened the door to his cell. The metal groaned from the movement, but there was no indication of Lockdown hearing as Bee slipped out as soon as there was enough space for him to. He didn’t bother closing the cell door behind him.

Peeking around the corner of the door that Lockdown had left earlier, Bee could barely make out the bounty hunter’s outline from where he was at the controls of the ship, fully concentrated on navigating it and nothing else. Confident that he had at least a little bit of time, Bumblebee moved away from that door and went further back into the ship as quietly as he could. If the minibot was lucky, he could find some sort of communications where he could contact someone and then… wait it out? 

Frustration bubbled up as Bee realized that while out that, _no_ , he did _not_ have an idea on what to do. He could, and will, contact someone, but then what? Twiddle his thumbs, hoping that Lockdown doesn’t go back to check in on him, or that they won’t reach the bounty hunter’s destination before some sort of rescue was enacted? Fight Lockdown and take over the ship? Like he’d be able to do that. Last time it had been him _and_ Hot Rod, both of them with their weapons, and the bounty hunter had been able to knock out both of them and steal the minibot away. Bee was on his own here, with no weapons to call to his aid and no friends to assist him. 

Making his way down the hall as he attempted to work out the situation he was in, Bumblebee was almost knocked off his peds- a metal shelf sticking out of the wall being his saving grace- as the whole ship shook and rumbled in it’s descent. Alarm washed over Bee as he stabilized himself, head jerking up as he felt the ship begin to settle. _Were they already at the meeting designation?_ the minibot thought in dread. He had barely gotten through the already small ship, and still had no idea where any sort of communication device was. 

Swallowing down his panic, Bumblebee darted down the hallway he was in, trying and yet not trying, to keep his pedesteps quiet as he frantically peered into rooms in an attempt to find something to contact _someone_. There was a very probable chance that Lockdown had already checked on Bee’s cell again now that the ship had landed, so his time was draining faster than he could move.

Along the last strip of the ship, Bumblebee could hear the echo of someone moving from a distance, and that sound alone made the minibot dart into the next open room he saw, shutting the door firmly behind him before turning around to see where he could hide in the cramped room. Optics skimming around at the different assortment of items, Bee felt his spark skip a beat as he spied an old fashioned communication device fixed on the back wall. “Thank _primus_ ,” Bee whispered as he darted to the communication device and pulled it down from it’s hook. The thing looked old as scrap, and was barely holding together, but it was better than nothing.

Servos shaking as Bumblebee’s optics darted back to the door once before focusing his attention wholly on the device in front of him, the minibot powered it on. For a moment, it didn’t look like it was going to start at all, but with a spit of static, the old thing spluttered to life, washing Bee’s face in faded blue light. Forcing his servos still, Bumblebee put in the first contact he had on his comms onto the screen and held his breath as he watched the device attempt to connect. 

“...Hello?” a voice crackled warily over the speakers, and Bumblebee felt like he could have cried in relief.

“It’s Bumblebee!” 

“Bee?!” Hot Rod’s shocked voice, mixed in with relief sounded out of the speakers, “Primus, we’ve been worried! Where are you?”

“Lockdown’s ship,” Bumblebee half-whispered, curling his servos against the table, “He’s the one that abducted me and knocked you out. I escaped my cell, but the ship just landed at where Lockdown is supposed to meet his employer and hand me over to them. I don’t know how much time I have.”

“Okay, listen Bee,” Hot Rod’s voice crackled and stuttered through the old device, forcing Bumblebee to lean closer to hear what the speedster was saying, “We’re getting close to Lockdown’s ship, you just need to make sure he can’t move you before we get there. We’ve got a team together to save you. Soundwave-”

Hot Rod’s voice was suddenly cut off as a large fist slammed against the communication device, crushing the thing and effectively shattering it into pieces. A horrified noise left Bumblebee as he stared frozen at the ruined device, optics flickering over to the dark grey servo. The presence behind him was obvious now, almost suffocating, as the minibot’s gaze traveled up the arm, forcing him to crane his head back to see the Cybertonian looming over him. Wide blue optics met the burning red gaze of Soundblaster.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where everyone gets an A+ for trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got fanart! It's for the last chapter of Into the Fold, and it's the cutest thing ever. Go check out the artist! https://beastlycreatures.tumblr.com/post/641773900117786624/httpsarchiveofourownorgworks26888647chapters

Time felt frozen as Bumblebee stared up at Soundblaster, his spark stuttering in his chassis at the sight of Soundwave's clone. The frozen feeling only lasted a moment, however, as Bee felt his mind catch up to what he was seeing. The heavy weight of the padlock that he still had in his servos suddenly became very obvious, and the minibot acted before he could think through the consequences of his actions. With as much force as he could pour into his arm, Bumblebee turned and chucked the iron padlock right at Soundblaster’s face and took off, not bothering to look back when he heard the clang of the impact. 

As Bumblebee neared the door, Lockdown suddenly appeared at the entrance, blocking it. Bee didn’t slow down, and instead sped up before throwing himself to the floor, sliding between a shocked Lockdown’s legs. Once he passed the bounty hunter and into the hallway, Bumblebee scrambled up onto his peds and transformed into his alt-mode, rubber burning against the floor as he raced down the hall. The roar of a larger engine sounded behind him, and when Bee checked his rearview mirrors, he saw Lockdown in his alt-mode right behind him. Muttering a curse that he heard Ratchet say once, the minibot pushed himself to move faster, eyeing a rapidly approaching turn. Since Lockdown was bigger, he would have a harder time with a turn- especially in such tight quarters- which would give Bee the upper servo, and hopefully enough time to get off the ship. If he could get off the ship and onto whatever planet they landed on, he could find somewhere to hide until the others got here.

There was only a foot left of space between Bumblebee and the corner when he felt something sharp suddenly hook around one of his back wheels. A pained yelp left Bee as he was jolted off balance, the minibot spun out of his alt-mode and crashed painfully against the corner wall. The thing that had thrown him off balance- which Bee could now see was a hook-still jabbed into his wheel, keeping the minibot in place as Lockdown approached him with a sour look on his face.  


“You are almost more trouble than you’re worth,” Lockdown grumbled as he bent down, one servo gripping Bumblebee’s shoulder as he tugged the hook off of the wheel, electing a sharp inhale from the minibot. “Don’t try to run off anymore, or else Soundblaster is going to try and get a discount out of me.”

“And- and that would be just _terrible_ ,” Bumblebee snapped back sarcastically, although it felt weaker than he had been aiming for. Lockdown ignored the other’s sarcasm as he stood back up, tucking Bee underneath one arm so he couldn’t escape and walked back to where Soundblaster was standing, irritation coming off him in waves. At least Bumblebee was proud to see a noticeable dent on the mercenary’s helm where the padlock had collided against the metal.

“Here I thought you were supposed to be Cybertron’s most skilled bounty hunter,” Soundblaster mused as the two came up to him, “And yet a youngling can give you the slip. I wonder if the shanix I’m paying is really worth it."

_Says the one with the dent in his head,_ Bumblebee thought as he glanced up at Lockdown, who looked to be grinting his denta together in annoyance at the remark. “There’s a reason that this _youngling_ was considered the best scout in the Autobots. If you’re not willing to pay what you promised, I can find someone else willing to pay the shanix for the minibot.” Honestly, Bee would have been flattered at being called ‘the best scout’ if he wasn’t currently dangling from his abductor’s arms. 

Soundblaster lifted his servos up, the irritation now masked with a sense of business, “Now now Lockdown, no need to get huffy. I am willing to pay the shanix I offered. After all,” the mercenary's optics flicked down towards Bumblebee, and the minibot swears he could feel the smirk from behind the other’s mask, “I have so many plans that I’m eager to start.” Lockdown grunted, but seemed sated as the two mechs moved to the front of the bounty hunter’s ship, ignoring the wiggling minibot who was attempting to escape again. He barely paid any attention to what the two were discussing- most likely payment- and only snapped out of his failed attempts at wiggling out of the hold he was in when he was suddenly dropped to the floor onto his peds, wobbling at the sudden movement. Stasis cuffs were snapped on a moment later, these ones looking much more sturdy than the ones Bee had been able to get out of earlier.

“Let’s go,” Soundblaster ordered, grabbing onto the stasis cuffs and pulling Bumblebee with him out of Lockdown’s ship. Bee followed without complaint, realising that he would have a better opportunity of escaping if he was just dealing with Soundblaster on some alien planet. As they stepped off of the ship, Bumblebee had to squint at the harsh light that suddenly invaded his optics. The planet they were on looked like a desert, the cracked ground rough against Bee’s pedes, and dust kicked up with every step he took. There was hardly any cover, and no signs of life. Not ideal for escaping a powerful mercenary. Attention turning back to Soundblaster, who was practically dragging the minibot to a large ship several meters from where Lockdown’s ship had been, Bumblebee realized he needed to act now. Or else he would end up on that ship, and most likely never come off it.

Squaring up his shoulders, Bumblebee was about to tear the stasis cuffs out of Soundblaster’s hold when the distant whine of engines made him stop in surprise. Soundblaster had also stopped, the two of them looking over at Lockdown’s ship. The bounty hunter’s ship was still, and the sound of engines got louder and louder as Bumblebee suddenly jerked his head upwards. A ship emerged from the thick clouds, kicking up even more dust as it began its descent. At the same time, the familial spark bond between Bee and Soundwave flared to life. Hope surged through Bee as he stared up at the approaching ship, _Soundwave was here!_

The appearance of the ship had the opposite effect on Soundblaster, as the mech let out a snarl of disgust and suddenly grabbed Bumblebee, flinging the minibot over his shoulder and sprinting towards the mercenary’s ship as the screech of metal could be heard above. Jet engines mixed in with the larger ship’s engines, and two jets suddenly emerged, one diving straight towards Bumblebee and Soundblaster while the other peeled off towards Lockdown’s ship. At the sight of Windblade diving towards them, Bumblebee’s struggles to escape increased. If he could just get out of the mercenary’s hold, then that would give Windblade a chance to scoop him up in her alt-mode and avoid any outright fighting. 

Windblade was suddenly cut off when a large, dark green helicopter burst out from nowhere, guns blazing at the jet as she had to pinwheel away from her path to Bumblebee to avoid getting hit. The two flight mods soared off away from the ground shooting each other, leaving Soundblaster to continue for several more clicks without interruption when the revving of a car was the only warning before Hot Rod burst from the dust clouds. 

Soundblaster tossed Bumblebee off to the side before diving out of the way of the red speedster, gun already pulled up to shoot at the autobot. Bumblebee, on the other servo, hit the ground at an awkward angle, not expecting to be tossed, and unbalanced due to the stasis cuffs. Struggling to sit up, Bee saw two shapes leap off of Hot Rod just as the speedster transformed to battle Soundblaster, and race towards the minibot. 

“Rumble! Frenzy!” Bumblebee gasped out once he was able to the two better through the dust, “How- what- I didn’t expect to see you two here!” 

The cassette twins grinned as they helped Bumblebee up, keeping tuned into the battle near them, “Soundwave wasn’t expecting us to be here either!” So that meant that they snuck their way into the rescue mission. Bumblebee let out a soft laugh at that, just imagining how ticked off Soundwave must have been. “Are you ok Bee?”

“Yeah,” Bumblebee gave a half nod as he glanced briefly over at where Soundblaster and Hot Rod- now joined by what looked to be Drift- were fighting. “Who all is here?”

“Besides us and Hot Rod, we’ve got Drift, Ratchet, Windblade, Ravage, Laserbeak, Soundwave, Arcee, and Starscream,” Rumble informed the minibot as they began to tug him back towards the rescue ship.”

“Starscream and Arcee went to Lockdown’s ship in case you were still there and to take down the bounty hunter, while Windblade went ahead towards Soundblaster’s ship. As soon as she gave us the confirmation he had you, Hot Rod took us out to get you with Drift while-” Frenzy was suddenly cut off when another jet- one that none of them recognized, dropped down from above them.

Seeing what it was about to do, Bumblebee let out a yelped, “Watch out!” as he collided into the twins, shoving the two of them- along with himself- out of the rain of bullets where the cassettes had been just a click before. The three coughed at the dust that invaded their vents, but they didn’t have any time to recuperate as the jet that had fired on them transformed and landed nearby, revealing the mercenary Octane. The triple changer looked annoyed just being there as he glared down at the three smaller Cybertronians.

“Hand over the yellow bot,” Octane rumbled, already reaching towards Bumblebee, “I’m already sick and annoyed of this, so just-” A gun shot rang out, tearing through part of the triple changer’s arm and forcing him to stumble back. They all turned in relief to see Soundwave running towards them with Ravage and Laserbeak at his side. Letting out a snarl of pain and rage, Octane leapt over the three small mechs and transformed into his other alt-mode, slamming into Soundwave and throwing the two of them back into the dust clouds formed by the fighting. Ravage and Laserbeak skidded to a halt as the blue mech disappeared, but he must have sent them a message, as they turned back to the trio after another moment of hesitation. 

“Let’s keep going,” Ravage instructed, pushing the group forward, “Soundwave can handle Octane, we just need to get back to the ship where Ratchet is waiting. Then everyone will fall back and we can get away.” The little group of cassettes and Bee surged forward through the billowing sand and dust, optics squinting to keep the dark outline of the rescue ship in focus. 

“We’re getting close,” Lazerbeak called out, flying forward towards the ship, only to let out a shrill shriek as a small form darted out of the sky and slamming into her with a similar shriek. Off Beat, one of Soundblaster’s few cassettes that were left, disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaving a frazzled and injured Laserbeak and the rest of the group tense. Laserbeak had a bent wing now, and was forced to land on top of Ravage’s back in order to not hit the ground with her injured wing. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to fly.”

Their attention was soon pulled back to the ship however, as more fighting was heard up ahead. Exchanging brief glances at each other, the group ran forward until they were out of the dust clouds and several meters from the ship.In front of the ship was a giant jet, swooping up and down as Ratchet shot at it, standing protectively in front of the ship. The gruff medic seemed to be holding his own, but from his position, Bumblebee could see that Ratchet was favoring his right arm, the left stained pink with energon. 

The twins pulled out their guns as the group moved to help the medic, but a shrill call made them look up to see Off Beat darting down towards them again. Rumble directed his gun towards the bird cassette and shot at him, only to miss as he swerved out of the way, screeching all the while. “What in Primus is that glitch head doing?!” Frenzy snapped as he joined his twin, each of their shots just barely missing the screeching cassetticon. The noise was loud, practically unbearable, and it seemed to drown out the rest of the noises surrounding the little group.

Bumblebee glared up in a mixture of confusion and frustration as Off Beat flapped around above their heads, noise ringing in his audials as the screeching continued. It didn’t make sense what the bird con was doing, unless… _oh._ Optics widening in realization, Bee turned with a jerk to look back at the ship as he yelled, “It’s a diversion!”- only to see the giant jet that had been fighting Ratchet moments ago, aimed right towards their group. Off Beat had conveniently _disappeared._

Frantic to get out of the way of the rapidly approaching mercenary, Bumblebee and the cassettes scattered. Bee didn’t get very far when the jet soared above him, their shadow cutting off the sunlight as they moved closer. A yelp left the minibot as the mercenary’s alt-form transformed partially, an arm swooping down and scooping up the minibot before tossing him into their cockpit. The yells of the cassettes were cut off as the jet’s top shut, leaving Bumblebee in the dark. 

Spark beating frantically, Bee stood up the best he could hand-cuffed, peds stumbling against the ground as he ran forward and slammed against the inner walls of the mercenary’s alt-mode. The metal shuddered against the impact, and Bumblebee winced at the new dents that decorated his side, but there was no reaction from his new captor. Letting out a frustrated growl, the minibot lifted up his cuffed arms and slammed his fists down against the inner walls. The metal dented slightly from the hit, and Bee lifted his fists up again, intent on continuing until he was released. The mercenary had other ideas. 

Before Bumblebee could land another hit, the jet suddenly barrel rolled, throwing the minibot off his pedes and into the air. Yelping at the sudden movement, Bee couldn’t do anything as he flew through the air at the movement, and as soon as the jet righted itself, the minibot crashed against the metal floor with a painful clang. That was the last thing he could recall.

*******

There was something satisfying about hearing the crunch of someone’s nose plate breaking after slamming your fist against their face. At least, for Soundwave it was, as Octane stumbled back as he held a servo against his now bloody face plate, face scrunched up from the pain. The blue mech had barely been able to see Bee, scraped up and dented, but no worse for wear with Rumble and Frenzy before he had been forced to fight the mercenary before him. Hopefully, now that Ravage and Laserbeak had joined them, the group would have little trouble getting back to the ship where Ratchet was waiting for them. All he had to do was keep the triple changer’s attention on him until the medic commed everyone to retreat. This was a rescue mission- there would be time later to hunt down the mercenaries and tear them to pieces for even daring to threaten his family. 

Exchanging several more blows with Octane- gaining a bleeding dent and cracked glass on his chassis, but also leaving the mercenary with a damaged leg- Soundwave could feel worry starting to worm it’s way in. The cassettes and Bumblebee should have made it to the rescue ship by now, and yet his comms remained silent. If something had happened to them- a bullet whizzed by his head, pulling Soundwave’s concentration back to the fight. He couldn’t let himself get distracted. If he could take Octane down, then he could go find his kids, and make sure they were safe.

Dodging another blast of fire, Soundwave was struck with several strong hits of panic flaring to life from his sparkbonds. Barely holding in a gasp, Soundwave moved back, intent to run in the direction of where he felt the panic, but stopped in confusion when he saw Octane step back as well, a servo held up to his helm as he listened to someone over his comm. A pleased grin took to the triple changer’s face as he lowered his servo, looking towards Soundwave with a look that basically showed that he knew something the other didn’t. “Looks like our objective is done,” the mercenary hummed, taking another step back, “Don’t worry though. Soundblaster is sure to keep in contact.” With that, the triple changer transformers into his jet formed and soared out of the dust cloud, barely avoiding Soundwave’s cannon fire as the blue mech chased after him. 

There was very little doubt as to what their objective was, as much as Soundwave wished it wasn’t what he thought it was. Bursting free from the sand and dust in the air that obscured his vision, Soundwave was met with the sight of the mercenary ship. Soundblaster was nearby with another mercenary, fighting back Hot Rod and Drift as another jet- larger than Octane’s alt-mode had been- flew over them and landed just at the entrance, transforming back to their root mode. In their arms lay a limp and unresponsive Bumblebee. 

A cry of rage was heard, although at the time, Soundwave couldn’t tell if it was him or Hot Rod- who had also spotted the yellow minibot. Soundblaster turned briefly to see his associate, before throwing something at the two autobots. Smoke billowed out between the two fighting groups, and Soundwave could see, as he continued sprinting as fast as he could towards the mercenaries, that Soundblaster had made it onto the ship as it began to rise up. The two made eye contact, and from his position, he saw the mercenary give an amused tilt of his head before mockingly wave his servo at the other before the ship’s door shut- cutting off Soundwave’s view of Bumblebee. 

_**:Starscream and Windblade: Go after the ship. They have Bumblebee. Ratchet: start the ship. Hot Rod and Drift: Find cassettes.:** _

Ratchet’s voice spoke up a click after Soundwave’s orders, voice thick with anger and frustration, _**:The ship won’t start! Those slaggers did something to the engine, and now there’s smoke and slag spewing out of it! If I try pushing it, the engine may explode and then there’s no way we’re getting off the planet.:**_

Not bothering to hold in an aggravated sigh, Soundwave quickly made his way back over to the rescue ship, servos shaking. Whether it was from fury, or adrenaline, Soundwave couldn’t tell, but he clenched them into fists to hide the fact that they were shaking in the first place when he spotted Hot Rod and Drift approaching him. The cassettes were next to them- sans Laserbeak- who was tucked into Drift’s arms, her wing bent and energon trickling out of the injury. All of them looked drained, distress covering them like a thick blanket. 

Taking Laserbeak from Drift, Soundwave cradled the injured cassetticon gently before gesturing for the rest of them to follow him back to the ship. The rest of the cassettes hurried to Soundwave’s side, practically clinging to him as they came up to their vessel. Arcee was already there, standing above a tied up Lockdown, who was currently awake, but dazed enough to not be struggling in his bonds. From the grave look on her face, it was obvious that the warrior was up to date. At the moment, all they could do was wait and hope that their two fliers could catch up to the other ship in time.

Windblade’s voice spoke up from the comms, everyone freezing as she spoke, _**:The ship… was too fast. They got it out of orbit too quickly for me and Starscream to follow. Our alt-modes aren’t built for being out in space for very long. They… got away.:**_

Something ugly seemed to crawl up through Soundwave’s throat, and it took him a moment to reply. _**:Affirmative. Return to the ship. Ship: will need to be repaired before we follow:**_ Turning off his comm, Soundwave handed Laserbeak off to Ratchet, allowing the medic to look after his injured child before approaching Arcee with the downed bounty hunter. His visor glinted darkly as he looked down at Lockdown, hatred burning in his gaze. “For now, Soundwave: has questions. Lockdown: _will_ answer. One way or another.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this chapter took! I ended up refining the outline for this fic, but it now has a pretty solid ending that I'm excited to write and share! Thank you for all reading and enjoy the chapter.

The way Bumblebee was tossed into a cell was very… unceremonious. He had jolted back to awareness at the sound of loud engines roaring to life, noting a moment later that he was being haphazardly carried by the large jet who had snatched him up in the first place. Struggling had proven useless, seeing as the mercenary who was currently holding him had arms longer than the minibot, and armor that would put any Cybertronian to shame. There was little that Bee could do except annoy her- which he seemed to succeed at since as soon as they reached the cell, she had practically tossed the minibot in without a single considerate thought. Then, she left, leaving Bumblebee alone once again. It was very off putting from the battle that had happened not that long ago.

Honestly, Bumblebee thought that the mercenaries would be smarter about leaving him alone in a cell, seeing how he had escaped Lockdown’s cell without much issues. For Primus sake, they didn’t even check for any lockpicks Bee could have in his possession! Sighing as he wobbly got back up, head pounding at the unfair hit it had taken earlier, the minibot took out his lockpicks and instantly began on the lock. If he was quick enough, there could be enough time for him to get out and find an escape pod to send him back down to the planet where the rescue team hopefully was still yet. Or better still, get out and hopefully meet with the rescue team as they invaded the mercenary ship. 

As he worked on the lock, Bumblebee’s thoughts tumbled around as he considered the mech that had paid for Bee’s abduction. Soundblaster… was somewhat of a mystery. Scratch that, the mercenary _was_ a mystery- at least to Bumblebee. All that the minibot really knew of the mech was that he had once been a decepticon, and then left the decepticons one day, quickly rising through the ranks of mercenaries to become one of the best. Then there was his eerily similar look to Soundwave. While Bee had heard rumors that Soundblaster was a clone of Soundwave, he hadn’t really given it much thought, but now that he’s seen the mercenary with his own two optics… yeah, he could believe the clone theory. 

That did not explain the mercenary’s interest in Bumblebee, or why he paid Lockdown to capture the minibot. Everything about Bee’s abduction was just… confusing, and seemingly pointless. However, as much as Bumblebee wanted answers, he preferred to be safely away from his captors rather than questioning them about dumb crap that he could care less about at the moment. The click of the lock sounded like music to Bee’s audials as he pulled his servos back and pushed open the cell door, which opened in smooth silence- unlike how Lockdown’s cell door had screeched by moving even the slightest bit.

Before Bumblebee could take a single step outside of his cell, a shrill screech sounded from far above in the shadows of the ceiling before Offbeat swooped down, talons colliding against the bars of the cell. The collision hit Bee hard and, since he was still uneasy on his peds, was thrown back easily. The door clanked closed, and the sound of the lock clicking back into place made the minibot’s hopes sink, especially since he spotted his lockpicks far out of reach from outside of the cell. They must have fallen from his grip when the cassette had shoved the door against Bumblebee. There was no way that he could get them back now. 

“Already trying to leave?” a smooth voice spoke up from the other side of the room. A scowl formed onto Bumblebee’s face as he turned his optics from Offbeat, who had gotten himself settled off to the side and was casually preening his metal wings, over to Soundblaster, who was sauntering over to the minibot with an obviously pleased expression dancing along his optics.

“Of course not,” Bumblebee shot back sarcastically, “This cell is positively divine, five stars really. Who wouldn’t want to leave such a wonderful place?” Soundblaster was silent for a moment, sizing up Bumblebee after his sarcastic reply. It caused a trickle of worry to worm it’s way through Bee. He had just sassed his captor, who he had no idea why he had captured him, and was rumored to be one of the most feared mercenaries from Cybertron.

“You have no idea why you’re here, do you?” Soundblaster suddenly spoke up, amusement still clear in his voice, “Soundwave really hasn’t said _anything_ about me, has he?”

“No.. he hasn’t,” Bumblebee replied slowly, eyeing the mercenary. And why would Soundwave? Soundblaster leaving had been decepticon business, and had happened long before the war finished. There was no point in bringing something up like that to Bumblebee, who hadn’t been involved at all.

It was clear that Soundblaster didn’t seem too impressed by that, as he moved closer to the cell where Bumblebee was, and proceeded to sit down in front of the minibot, leaning back casually as he began to speak, “Well, since you’re going to be here for a long while, I might as well… inform you.” 

_Oh no,_ Bumblebee realized with dread, _he’s about to start monologuing._ Something the minibot realized a lot of cybertronians enjoyed doing. Both Autobots and Decepticons had been no exception. 

“While an autobot like yourself may not know much about the ongoings within the decepticon inner circles, it was well known that I had a personal _dislike_ for Soundwave.” Soundblaster tilted his head at that, “And by dislike, I mean _‘hated with every fiber of my being’._ As Soundwave’s clone, I was expected to be just. like. him. Always had to be perfect, always had to act just like the brilliant, _wonderful_ Soundwave. The perfect soldier.” Soundblaster’s voice dripped with malice, “Have you ever had to deal with looking just like someone else? Constantly being compared to another who’s worth seemed to completely outweigh your own?”

Well, Bumblebee had been mistaken for Cliffjumper, and vice versa for the other minibot despite their different paint jobs, but Bee had a feeling that that experience was completely different from what Soundblaster was talking about. So the minibot wisely stayed quiet, keeping his thoughts firmly to himself as the former decepticon continued.

“I was so tired of being in that glitch’s shadow. Soundwave was the original, while I was the improvement. Yet, the decepticons preferred Soundwave. I wasn’t even considered a replacement, but rather, an extension of him,” Soundblaster leaned forward, optics burning darkly, “It was easy for me to leave. I almost considered killing Soundwave before I left, just to get back at him, but with his cassettes always around him, it was impossible to get close enough to perform the killing blow. But, that didn’t mean I didn’t keep tabs on Soundwave.”

“While I began to tear through the ranks of mercenaries, I had informants planted within the decepticon ranks. They fed me every bit of new information about Soundwave, even after the war had come to an end. _Anything_ to give me an edge on him, a hint at a weak spot where I could hit him, and then watch him shatter.”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with _me_ though,” Bumblebee interrupted, feeling frustrated, and very worried for Soundwave. Soundblaster had a _major_ hatred for his adopted parent, and Bee disliked the thought that there had been cybertronians who were currently on Cybertron spying on his family.

“I thought you would have guessed already, seeing as you’ve shown to be quite the clever little bot,” Soundblaster hummed. Bumblebee continued to frown at the other mech. Yes, he had a guess, but that guess left a sour tang in his mouth, and Bee just hoped that it wasn’t true. “You see, I was quite surprised when I was informed that Soundwave not only took in another youngling, but an _autobot_ one at that. That’s when I had the perfect idea.” 

A chill suddenly went up Bumblebee’s back struts as he watched Soundblaster stand up and begin to pace in front of the cell. “Soundwave may be the ‘perfect’ warrior, but he has one blaring weakness. One that no one ever considers,” Soundblaster turned toward Bee as he briefly paused in his pacing, “His children. His precious children that are _oh so dear to him_. Losing even one of them could very well break him. Of course, I considered one of the cassettes at first. Soundwave has had them longer, and thus has a deeper, stronger bond with them, but that was just the problem. No one could ever get close to one of the cassettes without Soundwave knowing. Any attempt on them would be almost impossible. Could I pull it off? Yes, but not without taking many risks.”

The chill of fear Bumblebee had was washed away with a sudden rise in anger. The fact that Soundblaster had even _considered_ going after one of the cassettes made him furious, and even a little sick. Bee had already guessed that he was going to be killed by Soundblaster, but the thought of one of his adopted siblings being in his place, killed by the mercenary in a form of revenge against Soundwave made him burn with anger. Swallowing, Bumblebee curled his servos into fists to hide their trembling.

“Which is why it is you, Bumblebee, who has the _honor_ of being the centerpoint of my revenge,” Soundblaster continued onward, unaware of the minibot’s anger, “My intel shows that despite not being with Soundwave and his family for long, he cares for you just like the rest of his children. However, bonds take time and effort to form and strengthen. While there’s no doubt that a bond has formed, it is still weak. It was easy to snatch you away before you were fully bonded with your new family. Meaning,” Soundblaster leaned forward, practically looming over Bee, “You are the perfect pawn for destroying Soundwave and everything he holds dear.”

Bumblebee stared up at the mercenary, optics widening for just a moment before he narrowed them and swallowed harshly before speaking, “So you plan to kill me?”

“Eventually, yes,” Soundblaster replied with a satisfied nod, “But that would be too easy, too quick. I need him to suffer.”

“But you don’t,” Bumblebee spoke up, trying to keep the anger, and fear, out of his voice, “Soundwave, while he might not be completely blameless, wasn’t the centerpoint of your unhappiness with the decepticons.” Soundblaster had completely stopped moving, staring down at Bumblebee silently, so Bee let out a small, nervous vent, and continued, “But since you left the decepticons, you no longer have to deal with the comparisons or trying to be the perfect soldier. You built up a whole new life for yourself, one where others respect and work for _you_. Seeking revenge… you’re risking all of that. If something doesn’t work out in your favor, or a plan goes wrong, you could end up destroying the life that you have built for yourself. Is it really worth that?”

“I won’t be the one suffering the consequences,” Soundblaster replied back coolly, “I have multitudes of resources and underlings under my disposal. It doesn’t matter who or what is crushed in my revenge, _I will have it_.” 

Bumblebee narrowed his optics at that. With that line of reasoning down the drain, Bee tried from a different angle. “Okay then… but still, abducting me? Like you said, my bond with Soundwave is weak. I don’t even share the same kind of bond with him like the cassettes do. No matter what kind of hurt you cause me, no matter if you _kill_ me, all Soundwave is going to feel is a pinch. I’m not as important as you think I am. This will do _nothing_ for your revenge.” Although the words felt dragged from his mouth, and left a bitter taste in the back of his throat, Bumblebee said them in an attempt to get Soundblaster to realize how abducting the minibot was the stupidest part of his plan for revenge, besides well, the whole ‘revenge’ thing anyway.

Yet, Bumblebee’s words didn’t seem to affect Soundblaster the way he wanted as the mercenary gave a flippant wave of his servo. “You’ll know soon enough, Bumblebee, just how _essential_ you are to the grand pinnacle of my revenge. Get comfortable, it will be several joors before we land.” With that, Soundblaster left, leaving Bumblebee alone with OffBeat, who was practically ignoring the minibot as he tucked his head underneath his wing for a nap.

Feeling more alone than ever, Bee hesitantly reached out through his bond with Soundwave, hoping for even a little bit of reassurance, but felt his spark drop when there was only an empty echo that responded back. _They must be blocking the bond_ Bumblebee reassured himself as he stared out through the bars, _Soundwave and the others are still coming for me._

***********

The silence of the ship was unnerving as Hot Rod and Arcee sat with the cassettes outside of the room set up for interrogation while Soundwave was inside interrogating Lockdown. Windblade had gone up to navigation to see if she could get a lock on Soundblaster’s ship as well as informing Optimus and Megatron about their progress- or lack of it. The rest had gone down to work on the ship’s engine so that as soon as Soundwave had gathered the information they needed to know about Soundblaster, and how to track him down, they could take off.

“Sooo,” Hot Rod drawled out, leaning back as he looked over at the cassettes, “Since you guys have a pretty tight bond with Sounders, do you know what’s happening in there?”

The cassettes glanced at each other, all of them seeming to have a silent discussion between each other before turning back the Hot Rod. “No idea,” Rumble said with a simple shrug. He didn't seem to consider expanding the statement even as Hot Rod shot him a confused look.

“What he means,” Ravage continued with a flick of their audial, “is that Soundwave blocks his bond with us whenever he interrogates someone. He’s always done it when the war was still going on, and apparently plans to continue to do so.” 

“How come?” Arcee asked, surprise and curiosity coloring her voice. The warrior had been eyeing the door to the interrogation room, but now had her attention turned towards the others of the group, “Is he trying to protect you all from something? It’d be a little odd, seeing as how you’ve all fought in a war.”

Laserbeak was the next to speak, carefully shifting herself into a more comfortable position, mindful of her bandaged wing as she replied, “I think it’s almost an unconscious action. I was the first of the cassettes, and he didn’t _use_ to block the connection when he interrogated someone, but…” the casseticon hesitated a moment, “Well, I think he decided to block it when I started to have nightmares. I’m not sure if the nightmares were directly sourced from the interrogations, but they sure didn’t help. After Soundwave realized that, he felt bad about causing them, and started to block our bond briefly during interrogations, or really intense battles. I think by now, he does it without a second thought.”

“So the rest of us never actually know what exactly happens when Soundwave interrogates someone,” Rumble added, “And Laserbeak would never tell us when we ask.”

“You mean _heckle_.”

Small grins came to the two autobots, although Hot Rod’s turned a little teasing as he chuckled, “So Sounder’s really is a _Dad_ , isn’t he? I would have never really thought about it if he hadn’t taken Bee in.”

The mood grew a little more somber at the mention of the still-captured minibot, but Arcee pushed on with a slightly forced smile, “Hey, so Bumblebee’s talked to a lot of us of how great living with Soundwave and all of you are, but we haven’t really heard anything from your side. How is it living with the little yellow one?”

That seemed to be the opening they needed, as all the cassettes excited crowded over to Arcee, talking excitedly about their various adventures with each other and Bumblebee, as well as several exploits that ended up getting them in trouble with several different Cybertronians, but were always able to get off the hook due to Bumblebee’s charm. They all seemed to agree that the minibot fit right into their family. The mood lightened as they talked, and the small group gathered began to relax as they distracted each other with stories and memories to avoid the current and upcoming troubles they would have to face.

By the time the door to the interrogation room opened, there had been a calm lull over the cassettes, which instantly shriveled up and died as the saw Soundwave step into the room they were in. They scrambled up onto their pedes and rushed over to the blue mech, all welcoming the unblocked spark bond as Soundwave gently placed his servos against their heads, rigid form relaxing slightly at the sight of the cassettes before looking up at Arcee, “Soundwave: has gotten the necessary information needed. Arcee: can finish interrogation. Hot Rod and Cassettes: May help with preparations to take off.”

Arcee gave a dark grin as she got up and passed Soundwave, looking all too eager as the door shut behind her. Hot Rod glanced at the reclosed door before looking back over at Soundwave, folding his arms over his chassis as he asked, "So we can get Bee back now?"

Soundwave looked up at Hot Rod, staring quietly at the speedster before giving a single, determined nod, "Yes: We will get Bumblebee back. No matter what." That was all they needed to hear.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who answered about my question about the antagonist, they will be a canon character rather than an oc. Thank you for your feedback.


End file.
